June Artist Spotlight
Meet Sheila Davis
WSA Member Since 2024
As a representational painter working primarily in oil, watercolor, and pastel, my work is rooted in observation and a lifelong study of light, color, atmosphere, and composition. Although my earliest professional work began in commercial art, painting eventually became my primary focus. Understanding color, light, space, and quiet movement have become my objective. Over time, my subject matter has evolved to landscapes, seascapes, and marsh studies inspired by the coastlines of Maine and Massachusetts, particularly the Kennebunks and the northern New England shore. For me, painting is an ongoing process of discovery. With every painting, I learn more about light, time, nature, and myself.
My education began at the Art Institute of Boston and Massachusetts College of Art. It continued through years of independent study and mentorship with painters including Lois Tarlow, Michael Dowling, and Robert Douglas Hunter. I have been a member of the Copley Society of Art and the Pastel Society of America, through which my work was exhibited in New York City. I also have a piece in the permanent collection of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. I am currently a member of the Guild of the Kennebunks, Dedham Art Association, Marblehead Arts Association, and the Wellesley Society of Artists.
When my daughters reached high school, teaching art became a meaningful extension of my studio practice. I developed an elementary school art program that integrated art history, aesthetics, and visual principles into the curriculum, and later expanded it to middle school visual arts education. I taught for nearly thirty years and found the educational community, which I am still a part of, both rewarding and deeply inspiring.
Throughout my career, I have remained committed to the idea that artistic growth never ends, and that the creative community is an enduring source of encouragement and connection. I have a great appreciation for the art community and my fellow creatives. After all, I am and always have been a creative. That identity defines me.